David Madacsi is an American visual artist whose distinguished career seamlessly bridges the worlds of physical science and contemporary art. A long-time resident of Mystic, Connecticut, for forty-five years, he now lives and maintains his studio practice in Middle Haddam, Connecticut. Madacsi’s professional life began in the field of physics, culminating in his tenure as Professor of Physics (now Emeritus) at the University of Connecticut. His scientific research focused heavily on light, the spectroscopy of crystalline materials, and photo-electrochemical conversion processes for solar energy storage. This deep intellectual insight into the physical world continues to directly inform and illuminate his creative practice.
As a cultural leader, Madacsi co-founded the Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art at UConn’s Avery Point Campus in 1991, serving as its Founding Board Chairman and Associate Curator for twenty-five years. He further enriched the regional landscape by producing the Jazz…by the Sea festival from 1995 to 2000 and directing the campus’s Arts and Cultural Programs until his retirement from academia in 2003.
Since transitioning to art full-time, Madacsi has developed an acclaimed body of multi-media work characterized as art inspired by light and place, time, and entropic effects. His practice spans three distinct pillars: site-specific environmental installations that explore natural lensing, image formation, and image-gathering water lenses; photography capturing the unique “visual terroir” of specific geographical locations; and his signature sculptural form, “visual haiku.” In these minimalist found-object assemblages, Madacsi manipulates materials with the deliberate economy of a haiku poet. The metaphoric, surrealistic, and occasionally humorous works achieve completion only when an essential title is introduced, serving as the conclusive third line of the haiku.
An internationally recognized artist, Madacsi is a fellow of the I-Park Artists’ Enclave and has participated in prestigious international residencies, including the Cill Rialaig Project in County Kerry, Ireland. He is an elected artist member and former Board President (2017–2020) of the Mystic Museum of Art, an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, and the New England Sculptors Association. His award-winning works have been widely exhibited at premier institutions, including the Newport Art Museum, Ogunquit Museum Of American Art, Mattatuck Museum, Florence Griswold Museum, Slater Memorial Museum, and the Providence Art Club.
